The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

During the banquet, food and drinks were served.

"It's been twelve years since we last met. I really miss it!" Ieyasu sat down and bowed respectfully.

Nobunaga, who had never bowed to anyone, also bowed his head in acknowledgment: "The things of my childhood are indeed nostalgic, but seeing you now makes me look forward to the future."

When his father-in-law, Saito Dosan, passed away, he did not bow his head in grief. Even before his father's memorial tablet, Nobunaga never bowed his head, and even made the absurd move of throwing incense and candles. But now, he actually bowed his head to Ieyasu.

The retainers of Owari began to feel uneasy...

"This is no longer our father's era; let's not forget the promise we made in our childhood!"

"Ieyasu came precisely because of this agreement."

"From now on, I'll go to the west, and you'll take care of the east!"

To the east? Ieyasu couldn't help but smile wryly. It was true that the Imagawa clan was an easy target, but the Takeda and Hojo clans were like two towering mountains to him.

"I only need Mikawa..." Ieyasu thought to himself.

The eccentric monk Jifu is gone, as is the great fool of Owari. Before him now stands a mighty ruler capable of creating miracles from adversity.

No… I’m here to form an alliance, not to submit to the Oda clan. Yet his words sounded like a repetition of Nobunaga’s orders.

"Lord Nobunaga, rest assured, Ieyasu will take care of the eastern front!"

……

As the banquet progressed into the late night, it gradually devolved into a full-blown drinking party.

Nobunaga called the Mikawa people into the house one by one, had Ieyasu recount their valiant deeds, and then ordered his retainers to offer them wine.

Hiraiwa Chikichi, Toriiin Tadashi, and other young people were quickly made drunk.

With his eyes still half-closed and sleepy, Ieyasu, just like Nobunaga, began to familiarize himself with the samurai of the Oda clan.

Some of the more famous retainers of the Red Mother Robe Clan and the Black Mother Robe Clan were also summoned.

When it was Nagayoshi's turn, Ieyasu perked up and pretended to be very angry, slamming his fist on the table.

"Shin-chan! You really embarrassed me today!"

"What Shinsuke? He changed his name last year. He's called Nagayoshi now!" Nobunaga slapped the small table.

Ieyasu said "Oh." Looking at Nagayoshi in front of him, he couldn't help but think of Yoshimoto, and then of Ujizane. He paused for a moment, as he was about to offer him wine.

Takechiyo was still in Ujizane's hands, and he could easily abandon his youngest son. But this was, after all, his eldest son, and the child's bloodline was more advantageous for him in winning over the Imagawa retainers.

"Ieyasu, you still have people in Sunpu that you care about, right?" Nobunaga asked with a smile.

Nagayoshi hadn't even had a drink yet, but as a swordsman, he could sense the fleeting killing intent in Nobunaga's eyes.

"This is how chaotic the world is..." Ieyasu said, bowing his head as if resigned to his fate.

At this point, the two couldn't be allowed to act freely. History was already changing; even with Nobunaga's good fortune, he wouldn't have risen to prominence without Ieyasu's support.

Nagayoshi immediately said seriously, "Lord Matsudaira, I have a way to get your hostages back!"

"Oh! Tell me about it!" Nobunaga reacted faster than Ieyasu. He was, of course, eager to do Ieyasu a favor and make him wholeheartedly follow him.

"Yes, my lord. To exchange for Lord Matsudaira's family, we only need to capture Nishigun Castle! The lord of Nishigun Castle is Udono Nagateru, who is also Lord Matsudaira's wife and Imagawa Ujizane's cousin. If we can capture him, Ujizane, eager to win back the hearts of the people, will have no choice but to exchange hostages!"

Ujizane can now only rely on a few loyal ministers like Asahina Yasutomo, and his own family (relatives of the empress and clan). Although he is muddle-headed, he still has basic political considerations.

Before Ieyasu could express his opinion, Nobunaga exclaimed, "Brilliant!"

Of course, that would be wonderful. If Ieyasu were to launch an attack, it would mean a complete break between the two families, and whether or not hostages could be exchanged would no longer matter to Nobunaga.

Ieyasu hesitated. In his drunken state, he couldn't comprehend the deeper meaning; he only felt like he was being roasted over a fire.

"Don't worry, Lord Matsudaira. No matter how ruthless Ujizane is, he can't possibly kill his own father's nephew (Udono Nagateru) and niece (Sena-hime) at the same time, can he?" Nagayoshi explained.

Nobunaga suddenly realized what was happening, and seeing that Ieyasu was still confused, he quickly shook his shoulder again.

"Takechiyo, that's a great idea!"

Ieyasu nodded mechanically and actually fell asleep. He was still snoring when his retainers carried him away.

"Well done, Nagayoshi!" Nobunaga handed his sake bowl to Nagayoshi, gesturing for him to have a drink with him.

Changqing casually picked up a wine bowl and took a perfunctory sip.

Nobunaga then swayed as he stood up, stretched, and chuckled, "Takechiyo can finally get a good night's sleep, and so can I..."

……

The following day at noon, Nobunaga planned to take Ieyasu to Atsuta Shrine, the place where he prayed for the last time before defeating Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Nobunaga always liked to be superior to others. Although he and Ieyasu were allies, he still needed to establish a hierarchy. His trip to Rehe was to demonstrate his status as the victor.

The two rode their horses out of Qingzhou City, with their entourage trying to catch up.

"Takechiyo! When I went into battle that day, only five of us ran ahead, and the rest of my retainers were just like them, constantly chasing after us!"

"Lord Nobunaga is a brave warrior!" Ieyasu praised.

"What do you think of Changqing's suggestion yesterday?"

"What suggestion? I was drunk at the time..."

"Alright then, you go and conquer Higashi-Sankawa! I'll go and conquer Mino!"

"Yes!" Ieyasu agreed, putting on an act as if he didn't care at all about completely breaking with Imagawa.

"As for the boundary between Mikawa and Owari, it also needs to be redrawn."

"good……"

"I'll send Lin Xiuzhen and Takikawa Kazumasu. What about you?"

"Sakai Tadatsugu, Takakichi Kiyonaga, and Ishikawa Kazumasa will accompany me to conquer Higashi-Mikawa!"

"Excellent! Let's choose Narumi Castle as the location for the negotiations..."

"As you wish!"

In a short time, the two of them completely ended the long-standing feud between Mikawa and Owari.

Ieyasu looked up at the tall and slender Nobunaga, his eyes full of subservience.

The west is a better place to develop than the east. There are many daimyo and powerful clans there. Perhaps in a few years, he will become Nobunaga's retainer. He thought to himself.

……

A month later, Oda Nobunaga, with two fierce generals, Shibata Katsuie and Mori Yoshinari, led 3,000 troops across the Nagara River to attack western Mino.

Nagayoshi and Marume Nagayoshi led eighty men to join the campaign as guards to accompany their commander, Nobunaga.

With the autumn harvest season fast approaching, the Saito family, fearing that Nobunaga would cause trouble everywhere, chose to take the initiative.

Two senior members of the Saito family, Nagai Eyasu and Hibino Kiyomichi, led 6,000 troops to Moribe to set up camp and prepare to resist Nobunaga.

Upon learning of Saito's army's proactive attack, Nobunaga immediately convened a military council.

Inside the military tent, the generals were arguing incessantly. Shibata Katsuie advocated a direct confrontation, while Takikawa Kazumasu believed that the enemy outnumbered them and they should temporarily avoid a direct confrontation.

Nobunaga was not going to leave empty-handed this time, so he supported Katsuie's opinion.

"Then how should we fight?" Nobunaga asked loudly.

"I have a suggestion!"

Nagayoshi sat behind Nobunaga, forcing Nobunaga to lean to the side to look at him.

Tell me about it!

Changqing smiled slightly, "It's just twelve words: divide the troops into feigned movements, lure the enemy across the river, and attack them while they're halfway across!"